Given the military conflict in Ukraine, Moldova is facing some challenges and the regional situation is rather risky. Civil society must now unite to help the people, brought on the verge of catastrophe by politicians, and promote the national idea of maintaining a country where people can live in prosperity. Such ideas were voiced by experts from Moldova, Ukraine, Russia and Romania, who attended the international conference “Current security challenges and risks for the Republic of Moldova”, organized in Chisinau by the Community Council “For Motherland”.
Igor Tuleantev, head of the Council, said that security is most topical issue for the region and Moldova doesn't need to repeat the events that took place in Ukraine. This is the reason why experts from several countries and from the Transnistrian region gathered at this conference to show that conflicts can be solved through dialogue.
According to Tuleantev, Moldova's neutral status is its greatest asset and the speeches that followed converged on the idea that there are many things uniting us, because everybody desires peace and nobody needs conflicts. Civil society must be helped in achieving these goals because politicians don't care about the national interests. “Although the participants had different opinions, they found a common ground. This way, we tried to prove how people with diverging views can find joint solutions satisfying everyone”, concluded Tuleantev.
Ukrainian political pundit Alexandr Dudciac said that the conflict ravaging Ukraine for 1,5 years wasn't necessary, but started because someone gave the order. He recalled how former president Viktor Yanukovich won the elections by promising that Ukraine would move towards the EU, but changed his mind when he realized that the Association Agreement undermined the country's independence. Dudciac stressed that Moldova must give up the illusion that the Association Agreement is an economic document, because it is in fact of a political and military nature.
Oleg Horjan, the head of the Central Committee of the Communist Party from the Transnistrian region, says that the people on the left bank of the Nistru first and foremost want to maintain peace and calm in the region. Only once this is assured, it will be possible to talk about points of intersection between the people on the two banks of the river.
Horjan dismissed allegations that chances to solve the Transnistrian conflict are low because nobody could have imagined 2 years ago that Donbass in Ukraine would become a war theater. “However, just like there are hot-headed people in Ukraine, there are a few in Moldova, who say that the peacekeeping format must be changed, which would lead to an armed conflict”, he said.
According to the leader of Transnistrian Communists, both the people and the political elite of the region favor Eurasian integration. He says that should this view be shared by Moldova, it could become a national idea to bridge the gap between the two banks of the Nistru.
Daniel Bliort, member of the Alternative Socialist Party of Romania, agreed that the regional situation is tense and previous mistakes should not be repeated. He opined that, given the new challenges that arise, maintaining a frozen conflict is preferable to an active armed one. Bliort is sure that it is thanks to Russian peacekeepers that there have been no shootings on the Nistru for 23 years.
The Romanian expert listed several principles that must be followed to avoid new military conflicts, including the territorial integrity of countries and the non-violence principle, according to which no country or community of states can directly or indirectly involve in the internal life of another country. Bliort said that peaceful settlement of conflicts is the best way for countries to interact.
Russian journalist Roman Babaian, an anchor for TV Центр in Moscow, thinks the biggest threat for Moldovan statehood is that the country is on the verge of self-destruction. The people are divided, some want to go towards Romania and the EU, others towards Russia and the Eurasian Union, but, according to Babaian, a people living on the barricades has no future.
He says Moldova needs a national idea that statehood must be preserved and that people need to be comfortable in this state. The journalist noted that hundreds of thousands of Moldovans work abroad and many of those working in Russia apply for Russian citizenship because it's better to work there and Moldova is losing its citizens.
Babaian is of the opinion that the EU Association Agreement is a political document and by signing it Moldova accepted several conditions, including the end of collaboration with Russia. “Moldovan citizens should not think that the same fate as Ukraine's doesn't await them, because nobody knows what will happen tomorrow. An order from someone is enough to start a conflict”, warned the Russian expert.
